H-V Map Editor, "Now that I've played much of the game&

[Anonymous]

First a disclaimer I did a search here and did not see a previous thread addressing this, as this one deals with the question, now that you have played the game what is it you want in the editor.

I know this is a bit premature, hopefully by only a few weeks even though the second patch did not get released at the end of June as originally published, but as I now have played several of H-V’s maps I thought I would post some of the things I have seen in the game so far that I hope will be available to mapmakers and not high level programming tricks. Why now, well I believe it was the outcry by many people that has already shaped the editor we will be receiving. I honestly believe that the campaign capability was an unplanned add-on, as evidenced the fact it may not be coming until a later patch (we’ll see).

So three of the things I find exciting and one hope:
1. The ability to replace a town with a town of a different type.
a. This could even lead to a sacking capability with cleaver scripting i.e. do you wish to sack this town and receive the following resources. Resources may depend on structures present if script allows. Then simply replace the town with the same type with no buildings or just rubble. This could lead to a scorched earth campaign possibility.
b. May even have the ability to creating a town in certain pre-designated locations.

2. Creatures appearing out of thin air, like the Titans in the Necromancy campaign.

3. The ability to have only a specific hero to liberate someone from prison. (Minor, true but has possibilities.)
4. Not lose any of the H-IV scripting capabilities, except those that do not apply since heroes can’t travel together or realistically participate in combat.

Well your turn, what would you like to see?

[wimfrits]

Most of all, I would like to see proper ways of handling text messages.

The text boxes I've seen so far were not really suited to carry intriguing story lines.

[Thelonious]

That's why I hope (because all cinamatics are in-game graphics) that possibly a cinamatics editor is introduced...

[Caradoc]

It appears that instead of a "Map" file, we will be creating a .bin file with the terrain and an .xdb file for objects. The .xdb file is just simple XML, which may make it possible to make changes without a special editor.

There are also some .lua files that appear to be for tutorials and a texture file for the graphics. We will probably not need to mess with those.

[Thelonious]

Mmm, that's interesting, I wonder if it really is more like the editor of Impossible Creatures, it saves a map using several files as well. And with it you can create cinamatics (though I've never seen anyone who was able to use that function)

Really I can't wait to see what they've done with the editor.

[Vlaad II]

Well, this is a screenshot of the editor, right?



Aside from the standard toolbar (file, edit, help etc) there are several interesting details, which I've marked with numbers:

# 1 - The yellow box represents a random item, probably an artifact (judging by the guards).
# 2 - The selected square of terrain was what the mapmaker was working on when the screen was taken.
# 3 - On the right there is a number of options to choose from; the mapmaker has selected a skin called grass and the square will be customized to represent one of the following: field, flowers, dark_grass etc. A mapmaker can also select the size of the terrain to modify (x1, x3, x5 etc), therefore these might be brushes.

At the bottom you can see new options: hard and soft (next to eraser), plus strenght.

In addition, we could guess a few more features from the game:

- elevation tool from H4 is back
- customized AI behaviour
- scripted events (cutscenes, heroes gain levels, mission objectives updated, etc)
- cutscenes

P.S. Oh, what do I want...? The option to fully customize the stats and appearance of heroes and creatures using the existing graphics but not mods.

[Caradoc]

Sorry, I can't see any detail on the screenshot. Can you point me to the source?

[Vlaad II]

Sorry, I can't see any detail on the screenshot. Can you point me to the source?

Sorry, I can't remember where I got it. Anyone else...?

[Gaidal Cain]

You can find it here, but I don't think the resolution is much better.

[Caradoc]

Thanks. The resolution is good enough to make it readable after downloading to IrfanView where it can be zoomed. (BTW: IrfanView is a great freeware file viewer. All kinds of files, good tools.)

It looks as though there may be Help, and possibly an error checker.

[Thelonious]

An error checker?

Mmm I think I'll stick to human testing, you can never be any surer. But it could be a help at locating early bugs and some bugs before sending it in for testing.

[Vlaad II]

This has been posted by Mantra at HC - just some toying with objects and characters.

[Thelonious]

With what? The editor?

[Vlaad II]

With what? The editor?

Yes.

[Thelonious]

Interesting. I wonder how long it would take him to get this screenie...

[Daxtreme]

I just hope that a Script editor would be included. It's what lacks in all other games' editors (almost). Especially in other HOMMs.

Nowhere to include scripts. Nowhere to include triggers (warcraft3).

It's what I want

[Thelonious]

As in: make your own scripts? That would go a little far woldn't it?

Anyways, as for triggers, if you are inventive you make make very specific triggers in HoMM IV allready.

[Ururam Tururam]

The text boxes I've seen so far were not really suited to carry intriguing story lines.

Well it would force the cartographers to write short but interesting stories. Nevermore three screens of text before playing!

As in: make your own scripts? That would go a little far woldn't it?

Why? For sure it's easier than to make cutscenes.


Well, don't worry guys, judging from the beta (as you know for one of previous POTDs I have seen it) we will get a powerful tool.

[Silence]

Well, don't worry guys, judging from the beta (as you know for one of previous POTDs I have seen it) we will get a powerful tool.

Lifting hopes for a harder fall?

[Gaidal Cain]

Well it would force the cartographers to write short but interesting stories. Nevermore three screens of text before playing!

I like long stories; I still haven't found a map that I've truly enjoyed that didn't came with long stories. The evil H4 practise of not including even a starting blurb for maps made them much worse in my eye, in the same manner as using only one type of terrain would.